Guitar Gear Forum

Can I use my old Super Reverb for heavier music?

Mostly concerned about the 10" alnico speakers. Pretty sure they not vintage.

How old is the SR? I'm assuming you're going to use pedals and go pretty heavy on the lows, in which case I don't think it would be healthy for those little speakers you already have in there.

You might want to consider using a separate cab in place of the speakers, but you'll have to use a cab that's wired for 2 ohms: either two 4ohm speakers or four 8ohm speakers wired in parallel for 2ohms.

And this is just me, I would use the Normal channel instead of the reverb channel. The Normal channel is simpler and straight forward with one less gain stage. It only uses two of the six preamp tubes. You can rely on your pedals for distortion and everything else.

The reverb channel, on the other hand, has the whole reverb and trem circuit and an extra gain stage and uses five of the six preamp tubes. (Both channels share the sixth preamp tube.) From my point of view, you're just making things more complicated if you run pedals into this channel. There's absolutely nothing wrong with doing so. But if you're going to be using a Super Reverb for something it's not really designed to excel in, mainly handling "heavier music," then I would try to keep things simple.

Now if you want to mix distortion from your pedals with the Super Reverb's natural overdrive (especially from the Vibrato/Reverb channel) then I think you might have some problems with the lows farting out on you.

Modifications like upping the values of the first stage filter capacitors, switching the tube rectifier to solid state, rewiring the amp to accept KT88s, and using a separate "heavier music" friendly 2 ohm speaker cab come to mind, but . . . I dunno . . . it is a Super Reverb. I don't even know how much current KT88s pull, and if it's too much, there goes your power transformer.

The Super Reverb, it's fantastic at a few things; it's just not what comes to mind for "heavier music."

In terms of modding a Super Reverb - it's kinda like modifying a '69 Camaro into a raised 4WD pickup truck. You can do it - it's your amp. But why?

And I gotta confess here, I'm a vintage Fender lover. When I can, I buy old trashed and non-working Fenders on the cheap and bring them back to life and try to get them to sound the way they're supposed to. If I wanted a high-gain amp, I'd just go out and hunt for one on the cheap - not modify an otherwise healthy Fender, which I understand is not what you're thinking of doing.

Yes, you can play heavier music on a Super Reverb. Will the speakers handle it? I wouldn't count on 'em.

Me? I'd just get another amp.

The Peavey 6505+ 112 is more or less designed to do heavy music, sounds pretty nice, and needs no pedals. AND is priced reasonably. Maybe try one of those? The Fender is more or less the anti-thesis of heavy music, isn't it? You could probably get a pedal, and have a usable metal sound for playing with lower volumes, but for any gigging, I think I'd consider something else.

It's an awesome idea, Joshua.

Chuck Nutz wrote:It's an awesome idea, Joshua.

I tried it at lower volumes (on 3, right before it jumps up in volume), and it sounded great......which is why I asked.


Didn't sound like I was stressing it out. I'm not looking for huge low end or massive chuggy metal tones.

Back in '89 I used an old silverface Super Reverb with 4 10 inch speakers to play 80's metal, with a distortion pedal through it. Actually I didn't think it sounded that bad...lol.

It's a '67 Silverface converted to Blackface.
here are some pics:

Hugh Jaynus wrote:

Chuck Nutz wrote:It's an awesome idea, Joshua.

I tried it at lower volumes (on 3, right before it jumps up in volume), and it sounded great......which is why I asked.


Didn't sound like I was stressing it out. I'm not looking for huge low end or massive chuggy metal tones.

Then what's the problem?

Do you need the internet's opinion before you use your own gear?

No.....but I'm not exactly using the Super Reverb for it's normal intended use.

I also know 10" Alnico speakers can be sensitive.

They're pretty stout.

What is the super reverb's intended use? People use them for everything.

Chuck Nutz wrote:They're pretty stout.
What is the super reverb's intended use? People use them for everything.

You don't see too many on metal, hard rock, rock stages.
If you do, they probably have different speakers.
IRL, I don't think I've ever seen a Super Reverb on stage.

I should probably confirm whether or not my speakers are true vintage, recones or reissues.
The reissues would probably hold up just fine. I'm not cranking the bass or anything.
It just has a great crunch with a pedal, and much more clear and detailed than my JTM.

There's are plenty of speakers suggested as replacements in the $50 - $80 range. (x 4 though)
WGS, Emi Patriots, Emi Legends, or Celestion G10. The Jensen MOD speakers are even cheaper.

I'll probably just try it at practice tomorrow.

Plus the Laney AOR should be here this week or early next week, so this is more or less............might as well try the Super before it gets here.

The JTM is sounding a bit flat lately......the TOL100 is sweet, but requires a more shit (cables and shit) to function.

For gigging, I prefer to have something simple, quick and easy to carry.

2 trips from the van. less cables to troubleshoot if something malfunctions. get on and off stage in a timely manor.
that's ideal.

well the Marshall, Egnater and Laney all would be better options for heavy music IMHO. But you can make it work with the Fender, just put a good OD pedal up front and you're good to go.

I'm not trying to get that modern heavy tone at all. Nor really a vintage metal tone.

Just going for something different altogether. A Super Reverb with a pedal, isn't all that different than a JTM with a pedal......the speakers and some mid content are pretty much the differences.

The Super with a modded RAT was sounding pretty good to me........

Nice re-fin job... gives me a stiffy...

dickysofa wrote:Nice re-fin job... gives me a stiffy...

I'll let the guy know. lol

A local shop's (now closed) amp tech did it all.

They were selling it for a price I couldn't believe.........so I had to pick it up.....regardless of how original or non-orignal it was.

Hugh Jaynus wrote:It's a '67 Silverface converted to Blackface.
here are some pics:

Wow, beautiful.

Oh, those look like the original CTS Alnicos. The "137" speaker code kinda gives that away.

Bonano wrote:Oh, those look like the original CTS Alnicos. The "137" speaker code kinda gives that away.

Oh, thanks!

I wonder if I can tell if they'd been re-coned or not?